2020’s First-Generation MBAs: The Bold, Brilliant & Big-Hearted

PLAGUED BY THE SAME DOUBTS

Quarter million dollar price tags weren’t the only aspect of business school that gave first-generation graduates pause. For some, the old insecurities of undergrad days returned as well. Why am I here? Do I measure up? What if I fail? Daniela Diaz asked these same questions when she returned to Arizona State for her MBA. Sure enough, the results turned out the same.

“My biggest worry before starting my MBA was that I could not perform on par with my future classmates. I had a difficult time convincing myself that I was capable and deserving of my admission offer. I am happy to report I have exceeded my performance expectations.”

Now the education cycle has been renewed. In their formative years, these first-generation graduates were models, dancers, soldiers, athletes, and musicians. Natalia Eguez even managed to survive being hit by lightning! In the coming years, they will emerge as difference-making financiers, consultants, entrepreneurs, and c-suite executives. For now, they are students – pondering and exploring, formulating and testing…sometimes stumbling but always returning for more. In many cases, they remain the first among the family and friends – an honor to defend as much as a debt to repay. For those first-generation candidates intent on following their path, these students have some words of advice.

SOME WORDS OF ADVICE…

Greg Frey, a Georgia Tech Scheller second-year, urges future students to not dwell on details. They have “an uncanny way of working themselves out,” he cautions. Wharton’s Naeem Muhammed advice is to focus on personal well-being over trying to be everything for everyone. “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” he writes. At the same time, Mauricio Serna pleads for first gens to embrace their heritage.

“I urge you to never compromise your background or hide your story to “fit-in.” Be bold, take risks, share your perspective and stand out. You’re guaranteed to thrive in life by doing so.”

Being first also requires maintaining a difficult balance. The first is told not to accept limits, to bounce back after setbacks and celebrate small victories. ‘Don’t be afraid to ask for help,’ they’ll hear, ‘people are happy to lend a hand.’ Along the same lines: they are cautioned to remain humble. After all, first-generation students often don’t know what they don’t know.

“Be curious and ask questions to anyone and everyone,” writes the University of Toronto’s Chris Vettese. “There really are no dumb questions, and most people that you talk to will be more than willing to help you out. There are pieces of information that other people might take for granted that you are not aware of, and the only way to uncover that is to keep a high level of curiosity to learn as much as you can from everyone that you meet.”

Above all else, adds Ana Flavia Dias, never give up.

“It will be tough. You’ll often be the only one at school and work. And when you get home, you will also be the only one. You’ll feel alone. You’ll have the unique experience of not belonging to either world and belonging to both worlds at the same time. You won’t feel understood in either world. You’ll have to work harder than your peers. The list of obstacles can feel endless. But someone has to be first, and you have the opportunity to make sure that someone is you.”

This summer, P&Q reached out to over 30 top MBA programs. Each business school was asked to pick a first-generation college graduate who beat the odds to become successful professionals and class leaders. This year’s First Generation story profiles MBA students whose courage, perseverance, growth, and achievement demonstrate the very best in business and education. From defining events to school financing strategies, here are the stories of 40 stars in their own words…

Click on MBA student links to access profiles. 

MBA Student	Business School	Hometown	Undergrad Program	Last Employer
Daniela Diaz	Arizona State (W. P. Carey)	Bellflower, CA	Arizona State University	Becton Dickinson
Martin Montes de Oca	Arizona State (W. P. Carey)	Sedona, AZ	Arizona State University	Accion
Jennifer Lopez Ramirez	U.C. Berkeley (Haas)	Los Angeles, CA	University of California, Berkeley	California State Assembly
Ankush Batra	Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)	Jaipur, India	Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati	Capital One
Mickey Colombo	Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)	Pompton Lakes, NJ	University of Rhode Island	VirtualHealth
Ari Noah Derman	Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)	Melville, NY	University of Miami	Acceleration
Nandita Jaya	Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)	Bhagalpur, Bihar, India	Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra	Microsoft
Kwaku Frimpong	University of Chicago (Booth)	Bronx, NY	Providence College	Intersection Media
Albert James Rabago	Columbia Business School	Pacoima, CA	USC	Walt Disney Company
Kori Hill	Cornell University (Johnson)	Baltimore, MD	University of Maryland	Freddie Mac
Jessica Ahn	Dartmouth College (Tuck)	Los Angeles, CA	UCLA	Accenture
Malena Lopez-Sotelo	Duke University (Fuqua)	Dublin, GA	University of Georgia	Stacey Abrams for Governor
Ivan Ibarra	Emory University (Goizueta)	Duncan, OK	Oklahoma State University	CSAA Insurance Group
Ivy Nguyen	Emory University (Goizueta)	Quynh Luu, Nghe An, Vietnam	Foreign Trade University	American Airlines
Marthaline Cooper	Georgetown University (McDonough)	Providence, RI	Winthrop University	Inovalon
Eric Frey	Georgia Tech (Scheller)	Fort Lauderdale, FL	Georgia Tech	Manhattan Associates
Grace Stewart	Georgia Tech (Scheller)	Morehead City, NC	University of South Carolina	iVision
Mauricio Serna	Harvard Business School	Weston, FL	Georgetown University	Commercial Real Estate Exchange
Ashley Johnson	Indiana University (Kelley)	Martinez, CA	University of South Carolina	Feld Entertainment
Jesse N. Pizarro	Indiana University (Kelley)	Levittown, NY	Purdue University	Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS)
Alyssa Blankenship	University of Michigan (Ross)	Donkin, Canada	Yale University	SWIFT
Kevin Vargas	University of Minnesota (Carlson)	Round Lake Beach, IL	Yale University	Medtronic
Olga Timirgalieva	MIT (Sloan)	Tashkent, Uzbekistan	Florida Southern College	McNichols Company
Daniel Rodriguez	New York University (Stern)	Havana, Cuba	The New School (Mannes Conservatory)	Greater New York Academy
Rose Telus	North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)	Cap-Haitien Haiti	University of Louisiana at Lafayette	Petram Consulting Group
Natalia Eguez	Northwestern University (Kellogg)	Santa Cruz, Bolivia	Stanford University	U.S. Peace Corps
Emilia Lispi	Notre Dame (Mendoza)	Scranton, PA	University of Miami	Treasure Valley Family YMCA
Casey Sherrod	Rice University (Jones)	Crosby, TX	University of Houston	U.S. Army
Areeba Kamal	Stanford GSB	Karachi, Pakistan	Mount Holyoke College	Apple
Jessica Reese-White	University of Texas (McCombs)	Bronx, NY	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	Google
Chris Vettese	University of Toronto (Rotman)	Toronto, Canada	Queen’s University	Accenture
Carmen Andrea Chávez	UCLA (Anderson)	San Diego, CA	UCLA	General Mills
Marleny De León	Vanderbilt University (Owen)	Tucson, AZ	Northern Arizona University	U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission
Ana Flavia Dias	University of Virginia (Darden)	Anapolis, Brazil	U.C.-Berkeley	Facebook
Duckenson Joseph	Washington University (Olin)	Port-au-Prince, Haiti	University of Illinois	Dell Technologies
Anthony DePina	Wharton School	Boston, MA	Rochester Institute of Technology	Goldman Sachs
Naeem Muhammed	Wharton School	Accra, Ghana	DePauw University	Goldman Sachs
Leydiana Munguia	Wharton School	Dalton, GA	University of Georgia	Biden for President
Jamaal Wright	Wharton School	Houston, TX	University of Texas	Impact Capital Managers
Andrés Lin-Shiu	Yale School of Management	Montevideo, Uruguay	University of Illinois	March Capital Management

 

DON’T MISS: 2018 First Gen: Inspiring Stories Of MBAs Who Beat The Odds